Some known vehicle systems include multiple vehicles connected together so that the vehicles can travel together. Such vehicle systems can be referred to as consists. Some vehicle systems can include multiple consists that each includes powered or propulsion-generating vehicles providing propulsive force.
The operations of the propulsion-generating vehicles can be coordinated with each other by remotely controlling some propulsion-generating vehicles from another propulsion-generating vehicle in the vehicle system. For example, distributed power (DP) control of the propulsion-generating vehicles may involve propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system being controlled to have the same throttle and/or brake settings at the same time. Alternatively, the propulsion-generating vehicles in a first consist of the vehicle system may operate with the same throttle or brake settings while the propulsion-generating vehicles in a different, second consist of the same vehicle system operate with throttle or brake settings that are the same, but different from the settings used by the propulsion-generating vehicles in the first consist. In the terminology of current DP systems, it is said that a fence is set up between the first and second consists.
Because vehicle systems may be very long, different segments of the vehicle systems may experience different grades and/or curvatures in a route at the same time. Using the same throttle or brake settings for multiple propulsion-generating vehicles traveling over different grades and/or curvatures can result in undesirable forces on couplers of the propulsion-generating vehicles that are located between the propulsion-generating vehicles and/or undesirable movements of vehicles. For example, when cresting a hill, using the same throttle settings on all propulsion-generating vehicles can cause the vehicles located at or near the apex of the hill to experience relatively large tensile forces, can cause the vehicles on the downward slope of the hill to move faster than and away from other vehicles at or near the apex, and/or can cause the vehicles on the upward slope of the hill to move slower than and away from the other vehicles at or near the apex. These forces and/or movements can damage the couplers connecting the vehicles, cause the vehicle system to break apart, and/or generally degrade handling of the vehicle system as experienced by an operator of the vehicle system.